


Cougar's Niece

by Prplprincez



Category: American Actor RPF, The Losers (2010)
Genre: Bad Flirting, Crushes, F/M, Faked Death, Jensen's dick in danger, Masturbation, Protective Cougar, hiding out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 03:51:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8781847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prplprincez/pseuds/Prplprincez
Summary: Stacey Alvarez has been around The Losers most of her life. They treat her like a little sister.  But she really wishes that one would treat her like the grown up woman that she is.





	1. Chapter 1

Stacey felt uneasy. Walking from her car to the front door she looked around but couldn’t see anybody. She still felt for the .380 at her side to unfasten it, just in case. She quickly unlocked her front door, walked in and relocked it. Sliding to the floor, she began to cry. She hated this feeling of being watched. “God I wish Cougar was here,” she thought.

  
Cougar was Sgt. Carlos “Cougar” Alvarez, her uncle. Him and his team, Lt. Col. Franklin Clay, Cpt. William Rogue, Cpt. Jake Jensen, and Sgt. Linwood “Pooch” Porteous, were members of a team that worked for the CIA. At least they used to. They went to Bolivia and after a few days she had an officer show up at her door to tell her that her uncle was dead.

  
Growing up she saw Cougar and his team every time they were in town. Her mother was his only sister and they were very close. But while he was on a mission somewhere, when she was 16, her mom died. Cougar arranged for her to live with Jensen's sister until she turned 18. Lisa, Jake's sister, and her became really close and she was the only one that Stacey was able to talk to about girl things. Lisa understood since the guys all were overly protective of them and looked at them as sisters. Still Lisa and Stacey could hold their own as they had been taught by some of the best to fight, shoot and handle knives.

 

As Stacey walked into her bedroom wiping her eyes, she realized that Cougar and the rest of the guys were gone for good and she needed to just accept it. Just then a hand covered her mouth and an arm wrapped around her body! As her leg began to lift to kick behind her, a voice whispered into her ear.

  
“Shhh Mija, it’s me, Cougar. Don’t scream. You need to be quiet. Can you do that?”

  
She nodded her head and he removed his hand. She spun around and hugged him tightly. She started crying again and he just held her, whispering into her hair. When she finally had settled down, they sat on her bed and she listened as he explained about what happened. How Max, their handler had set them up and how they had barely escaped with their lives. Deciding to let everybody think they were dead until they could get a way to clear their names. When they met Aisha Al-Fadhil and discovered more information, they realized that they needed to get home.

  
“Somehow Max found out that we are alive. He is now after our families. We have a safe house for you to go to. Now get some things together Mija so we can go.”

  
She quickly gathered some clothes and essentials. They left through her back door and got into a basic car and headed out of town. After about a half an hour they pulled up to a large farmhouse with a barn. She followed Cougar inside and started crying again. Clay, Pooch, Rogue and Jake were all there, alive. They surrounded her in a giant hug. She had thought she would never see them again and here they were, hugging her and telling her it was ok. After awhile her sobs turned into hiccups and her tears dried, she smacked Clay across the face.

  
“What was that for,” he asked.

  
“For not telling me you were alive!!!” she yelled. “No, no, no don’t explain it. Cougar already did. But you deserve that Clay and you know it.”

  
“You’re right,” he said.

  
“Now where am I sleeping in this place?” she asked.

 

After she had put her few things away Stacey heard a knock on the door. “It’s me,” said Lisa, as the door opened. Lisa came in and sat on the bed, hugging her tightly.

  
“You and Megan doing ok after seeing Jake?” Stacey asked.

  
“Yeah, although it was quite a shock. You?”

  
“Cougar scared the shit out of me,” she replied. She told Lisa how Cougar had snuck up on her and broke the news to her that they were all home.

  
Then Lisa asked the question she knew was coming. “How do you feel now that you have seen Jake again? You know, now that you know he's still alive?”

  
Stacey took a deep breath. Lisa was the only one who knew, it had slipped out when they had gotten the horrible news that the guys were dead. While they comforted each other Stacey had said something about how Jake would never know now how much she liked him, how munched she cared. Lisa hadn’t said anything then but a few weeks later she had brought it up. Stacey said that she had had a crush on him for awhile but just like all the other guys, he treated her like a little sister.

  
“I'm relieved, of course. Nothing is going to change Lisa. I’m always going to be Cougars niece, you know. Jake will never see me as nothing more that a little sister,” she sighed, flopping onto the bed.

  
“Not if I have anything to do with it,” Lisa said with a smile.

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and Stacey are forced to spend time together

Clay comes in to Stacey's room to let her and Lisa know the rules. Since they are essentially hiding out they have to live a certain way. The girls know it kills him to do this to them, but he takes his responsibility to keep them safe seriously. They are not to go anywhere without one of the guys and they will not be going with their family members. It would be too easy to be distracted so Lisa won’t be going with Jake and Stacey won’t be going anywhere with Cougar. And Megan will be staying home at the safe house as much as possible.

  
Also since the guys really can’t cook and Aisha never learned, Stacey and Lisa will be doing that job. Jolene will help out once she feels up to it, but since she just had a baby they are going to let her get as much rest as she needs. With that all settled, the girls go see what kind of food they have to work with.

  
They walk into the kitchen and see the rest of the guys sitting at the table, heads close together like they are planning something. This actually isn’t something that is unusual but actually quite soothing to both Lisa and Stacey. Many times Stacey would come home from school to find not only had they returned from a mission but they had orders for the next one and they would be sitting around Lisa’s table planning it out. Neither of them could hear a word but the guys made room for Clay to sit down. The girls ignored them as they search the cabinets, cupboards and refrigerator. Looking at each other, they roll their eyes and Lisa finds a notepad and a pen and starts a list.

  
“How do they even keep in such good shape with all the crap they have here?” Stacey asks.

  
“There _is_ some salad in there,” Lisa answers.

  
“Do they eat it with or without all those chips?”

  
They both start to laugh and look over to the guys. The thing is every one of them is in excellent shape. You could bounce a quarter off of any one of their asses and each of them had washboard abs. While Stacey didn’t look at Cougar that way, she wasn’t blind, she knew her uncle kept his body in great shape. And she also knew that they really didn’t eat like this either. They really must be under a lot of stress to have brought so much junk into the safe house.

  
A short time later they had a list and a menu ready to go and they approached Clay about heading into the little town.

  
“Hey Clay, we need to go and get some actual decent food. Who can you spare to take us,” Stacey asked.

  
“You both can’t go. I can spare Jensen right now so Lisa you are staying here,” Clay replied.

  
Stacey nodded and the two girls walked back into the kitchen.

 

“Jensen, I want you to take Stacey into town to get some things from the store. You know the drill,” Clay told him.

  
“Got it Colonel,” he replied. As he got up from the table, he caught Cougar's eye. The look Cougar gave him spoke volumes. It told him mostly not to let a hair on Stacey's head be damaged or Jake's life would be over. He nodded slightly at Cougar and went to get his things.

  
As they head into town they settle into comfortable conversation. Jake has always been able to talk to Stacey, unlike most women, since he has known her for years. But something changes when they get to the store in town.  
He doesn’t particularly enjoy any shopping so he falls behind her as she grabs a cart and begins methodically gathering what was needed. He glances around the store, finding the exits and where everybody is. His first job is to protect Stacey and regardless of his dislike for shopping, he takes his job seriously. Finding everything safe, he notices a few men looking at Stacey. Not in a bad way, but in that “I want to take her home” way. He looks at her again and he suddenly a little uncomfortable.

 

Stacey walks up and down the aisles, picking up the items they need. When Clay said Jake was going to take her, she thought her heart was going to stop. But she gathered her wits and just did it. She was so glad they were able to talk on the way into town. She was finally able to relax and her nerves settled. Although as she shopped a little part of her pretended this was her life, you know, they were a couple and shopping for them, instead of a house full of people. That they would go back to their house and put their things away and cuddle and all the things she had dreamed of for years. She sighed deeply and continued with her list.

 

Jake isn’t sure he likes the way these guys are looking at Stacey. In fact, now that he looks at her again he actually stops in the middle of aisle. He thinks back to when she got to the safe house that morning. She sounds more mature, she acts more mature. She has grown up. She sure isn’t that little kid he has always looked at her as. For years she was just a little pest, like a kid sister, but now he sees her as a woman, with curves in all the right places and even his dick notices. Oh god if Cougar realizes that he looks at Stacey any different he **won’t** have a dick anymore. “Calm down, calm down,” he thinks. He catches up to Stacey and they finish the shopping but he is now really uncomfortable.

  
The ride back is tense because now he doesn’t know what to say. He can’t stop thinking about how he missed so much. How he really would just like to drag her into his room as soon as they get back. It's only the fact that Cougar doesn’t miss that holds him back from making any attempt at any flirting with Stacey. That and the fact he really can’t flirt. But he has known her forever, it might work. But then he might lose his dick too. It might be worth it though.

  
He thinks that until they walk in and he sees Cougar cleaning his SR-25 and changes his mind. He likes his parts where they are, thank you very much.  
But later that night, in bed he can’t help but think of what it would be like. He starts stroking himself, imaging Stacey on her knees, his hands wrapped in her long brown hair, holding her still as he fucks her mouth. He can’t help the groan that slips out of his mouth as he speeds up, his hand on his dick, thinking of her wet lips, stretched wide around him. Her gagging on him as he thrusts into the back of her throat. His hand sliding up, wrist twisting at the top, the precum sliding down. He strokes faster, biting on his lip to keep quiet. He feels it in his balls and soon his is spilling over his hand. He lays in his bed for a minute, trying to calm his breathing before he reaches over to grab his shirt off the floor to clean himself up.

  
He has a feeling, no matter the risk to himself from Cougar, he wants Stacey for himself.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Settling into life while hiding out.

Over the next couple of days Jake really watches Stacey.  But he does his best to make sure nobody notices him doing it. As he works he finds that Max has his fingers in so many pies, that trying to prove their innocence is going to be hard.  Not only that, so many people owe him favors.  Jake has been sifting through data for hours when he looks up to see Stacey with Preston, Pooch’s son.  She is talking to him and laughing.  Suddenly something inside of him flutters. He had always wanted a wife and a family of his own but after they were framed he thought that was taken from him.  But seeing Stacey with Preston makes him hope for that again.  If only he could get a chance with her.  

 

Stacey and Lisa have spent the last couple of days organizing the house and helping Jolene with Preston.  Between the two of them, they had that place running smoothly.  The guys and Aisha were so busy trying to figure out how to take down Max that they didn't have might more time for anything else.  They ate whatever the two of them put in front of them, crawled into bed late at night, and got up early to start all over in the morning.  Stacey and Lisa did what they could to help but there just wasn't much outside of housekeeping.  Jolene was just as tired, just having had Preston, so they did what they could to help her too.  Stacey loved helping with the baby.  She hoped for one of her own one day.  And at least once a day, she allows herself the small fantasy of what it would be like to have a family with Jake. That all of this with Max was taken care of and her and Jake could be together.  She knows it silly, her leftover teenage crush, but she just can't let it go.

But no matter what she does, she feels like she is being watched.  Yet when she turns around, everybody is doing exactly what they should be.  She looks at each of the guys and they are either cleaning their weapons or studying whatever Jake has discovered or talking quietly among themselves.  Sometimes she catches her uncle's eye and he’d smile a tight smile at her.  But usually nobody notices her. She does, though, take the time to study Jake and fantasize a little more.

 

Cougar isn't one to talk very much, but he tries to keep his eyes on everything.  He has seen too much and he just didn't want to share it.  Losing his sister hit him pretty hard and Stacey was his only flesh and blood left.  She was much more than a niece to him at this point, she was like his daughter.  He knows that some day she is going to find somebody to be with, he just hopes it isn't  a loser like him.

 

Lisa is busy fixing dinner when she looks up and catches Jake watching Stacey. Raising her eyebrow at him, she watches as he lowers his head.  He knows that he is caught and that they will be talking about this later.

After dinner Lisa follows Jake into his room for a sisterly chat.  

“I really don't want to hear about it, Lisa,” he starts, sitting down on his bed.

“Hear what, Jake?  I haven't said anything,” she replies.

“I know who her uncle is, I already know if he catches me what will happen, damn it!  He is one of my best friends!  But, I, I just can't, I...we left and she was still a kid and now she's all grown up!  What the hell am I supposed to do Lisa?”

His sister sits down on the bed next to him.  She puts her hand on his shoulder and looks at him.

“Seriously, Jake, how do you feel about her?”

“I don't know anymore.  I want to find out though.  But Cougar, and he is so protective of her.  And what if she doesn't see me any different than before?  That I’m just Jake, her best friend’s brother.”  He ran his hand through his short hair.

“Do you want me to talk to her, you know, feel her out for you?”

“Would you, please?  Just don't be obvious okay.”

“Sure, sure.  No problem,” Lisa replied.  “I got this.  Don't worry.”

Lisa gets up and leaves his room.  Jake lays back on his bed and allows himself to think about the “what ifs”.  What if Stacey is willing to give him a chance?  What if she can get Cougar to let them be together?  What if it all works out and they get out of this mess with Max?

 

Stacey watched as Lisa and Jake went into his room.  She wondered what that was all about as she cleaned up after dinner.  After a bit Lisa walked back out and pointed towards Stacey’s room.  She meet her in her room and Lisa shut the door.  Lisa pulled her close and whispered in her ear, “How much does your uncle like Jake?”

“Why,” Stacey asked.

“Because it will make a big difference if he catches you two!” she replied.

“What?”

Lisa then replayed the conversation with Jake.  They jumped around quietly, since they didn't want anybody to know what they were talking about.  After they calmed down, they sit down and try to figure out how to deal with Cougar.  Because now that they know that Jake likes her, they need to keep him alive if Cougar finds out too soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Stacey knows how Jake feels, what is she going to do?

Stacey shuffles into the kitchen looking for coffee.  She didn't get much sleep the night before since Lisa had told her that Jake was interested in her as much as she was in him.  The excitement and worry kept her tossing and turning.  She grabs a cup and set the Keurig to brew and looks around the living room, quiet for a change.  It's still really early but she knows it won't be quiet for long.  

  
  


Jake lies in bed, haven't hardly slept at all.  He had watched Lisa go in to talk to Stacey last night but when she came out all she did was wink at him and went into her own room.  He hopes that means Stacey at least wasn't turned off by the fact he likes her, that he sees her differently now.  His stomach is all funky and he should probably just get up.  Sitting up, he pulls on an undershirt and heads out to get some coffee.  

He’s surprised to see Stacey up already, he thought he was the only one up and well, he isn't really sure what to say to her just yet.  

She says nothing but starts to make him a cup of coffee.  His tongue is tied for several reasons.  She is in nothing but a tank top and boy shorts, her hair is disheveled and he just wants to drag her into his bed and mess her hair up some more, among other things.  He always gets nervous when he talks to women but now its worse.  He has known Stacey for years, he already cares about her and he doesn't want to mess this up so soon.  She sets his coffee in front of him and sits down next to him.

“Hi,” she says.

“Hey.  Thanks for the coffee.”

“Sure.”  She looks down, then up at him through her eyelashes.  “So, um, Lisa talked to me last night.  And, well Jake, I am interested in seeing where this could go too.”

“You are?” he asks.

“Yup,” she answers, popping the ‘p’.  

He feels so relieved.  He doesn't have to try and put any moves on her.  He has always felt comfortable around Stacey and that won't change.  Just now it will be better.  He doesn't have to try and impress her, she knows who he is - a computer nerd and a goofball.

 

Stacey can see Jake literally relax.  Lisa wasn't kidding when she said he was worked up.  She puts her hand on his arm and smiles at him.  

“It’s gonna be OK Jake,” she tells him.

The smile he gives her back makes her heart race.  It's pure happiness.  

  
  


Cougar walks out and sees Jake and Stacey talking at the table.  He loves that the team treats her so good.  They truly are his family.  As he goes to get his coffee he notices what his niece is wearing.  His eyebrow raises and he is going to have to talk to that girl.  Around that many guys, in clothes like that, not happening.  He grabs his coffee, then looks straight at Jake.  He jerks his head to him and Jake nods.  

“I’ll talk to you later,” he says to Stacey and then heads to his room. 

“Mija, let’s go to my room and talk,” Cougar tells her. 

She nods and picks up her cup.  She follows him to his room.  

 

Stacey sits on her uncle's bed.  She is worried he heard some of her conversation with Jake.  While she knows they are very close, she isn't sure how he would take them starting a relationship.  She begins to worry her lip as Cougar sits down next to her.

“Mija, I’m sorry you have to be here, in this place.  I wish you could be in your own house.  I want so much more for you.  This life, it's not what I want for you.  When this is all settled, I hope you can find you a good man, one that isn't military, one that will be home every night, one that will treat you right.”

He looks right at her and she knows if she even mentions how she feels about Jake, it would be a bad idea.  She just nods and he continues.

“And no more running around dressed like that,” he says, waving his hand over her.  “You need to be more appropriate.”

“Alright,” Stacey answers with a smirk.  Hugging him tightly, 

she treasures these moments because they don't happen often. Not only doesn't her uncle talk much, he isn't very touchy.  She loves him no matter what and all too soon he pulls away.

“Go on now, I have things to do,” he tells her.

 

As Lisa and Stacey get breakfast ready, Stacey fills Lisa in on everything that has happened this morning.  

“You have to tell Jake for me.  That we have to keep it really low key.  If my Tio finds out, I don't  _ even  _ know what he will do to him,” Stacey whispers to Lisa.

“Relax.  I’ll tell him.  I got you covered,” Lisa tells her.  

Stacey watches as Lisa takes a huge plate of bacon to the table and as she places it down, she whispers in her brother's ear.  He glances up to look at Stacey quickly and then Lisa walks away.  The entire interaction takes maybe a minute.  

“I told him.  He’s good,” Lisa tells her.

“Thank you,” she says, giving her a hug.

 

Thus began the sly looks, the secret smiles and Jake volunteering to take Stacey when it was her turn to go into town.  Nobody thinks anything of him taking her, her best friend’s brother.  Little do they know.  

 

It's on one of their trips to town that Jake pulls over on a little side road and turns the truck off.  He puts his hand on the back of her neck and turns toward her.

“You know Snot Face, it's really hard acting like nothing has changed, especially in front of Cougar.”  Stacey smiled at the name he has called her for years.  But now he said it with affection.  “But I have been waiting to get you alone so I could do this.”  He leaned over and gently kissed her, his lips barely touching hers.  As he starts to pull back, she wraps her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.  He runs his tongue along her lips and she opens, letting him in.  She tries to get closer to him, but the console is in the way.  He pulls away, leaving both of them breathing heavy, eyes filled with want.  

“We need to go.  We can't let them catch on,” Jake tells her.

“I know.  Will you come up tonight?  To my room, after everybody is asleep?  We don't have to do anything.  I just want to spend some more time with you Jake, please.”

He glances at her as he drives towards town.  He can't tell her no, not anymore.  

“Yeah, yeah I will,” he says as he grabs her hand. 

  
  


That night, after everyone was in bed, Jake slips up to Stacey’s room.  He lightly taps on her door.  He bounces on his feet, nervous energy.  If anybody sees him outside her door, he really has no good excuse.  Finally, she opens the door and pulls him inside, closing the door quietly.  

“I thought you would never get up here,” she whispers in his ear.

“Aw, Snot Face you missed me,” he replies, kissing her cheek.

“Shut up Booger Breath and kiss me.”

He wraps his arms around her and gives her exactly what she wants.  He starts to walk her backwards, towards her bed.  He isn't ready to take it  _ that  _ far yet but he wants to sit and kiss her for hours if possible. 

 

Stacey is just enjoying the feeling of being in Jake’s arms.  Him kissing her, his arms around her, sitting on her bed.  He didn't try to rush her into doing more than just kiss.  She couldn't have been more happy.

“Mija, I need to talk to you.  Can I come in?”

“Oh fuck!” Jake says as he jumps back, falling onto her floor.  He scrambles to his feet, turning back and forth trying to figure out where he can go or hide or something.  He’s gonna die, he knows it.  Cougar is gonna kill him.

“Mija, are you ok? I’m coming in.”

Stacey runs over to the window and is just getting it open when her door opens and her uncle walks in.

  
“¡Qué mierda! ¡Eres un hombre muerto!” (What the fuck! You're a dead man!) was the last thing Jake heard as he jumped out the window. 

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cougar caught Jake in Stacey's room. All hell may break loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Valecitawrites and tinacita and the_whip_hand_81 here on AO3 (valecitainwonderland and tinaferraldo on Tumblr) for their Spanish to English translations. I may live in Arizona but my Spanish is just enough to get by. Please check them all out. :)

"¡Confiaba en tí, hijo de perra!  ¡Vuelve aquí para que pueda matarte! ¡Puedes correr pero no escaparas!  ¡Siempre voy a encontrarte!" ( _ I trusted you you son of a bitch, get back here so i can kill you!  You can run but you can’t hide, I will always find you _ !)

 

With all the noise Cougar is making it isn’t long before everybody is in Stacey’s room.  Clay and Aisha have their guns drawn, Rogue has his biggest knife out.  Pooch is holding Jolene back and has his gun out.  And Lisa is hiding behind Clay trying to figure out what the hell is going on while telling Megan to get back to her room.  

 

“¡Tio, por favor, para!  ¡Me estas avergonzando! ¡Cállate!” ( _ Uncle, please, stop! Your embarrassing me!  Stop! _ )  Stacey screams at her uncle.

“¡Voy a cortarte tu verga cabron!  ¡Tu madre hija de puta!”  ( _ I’m gonna shoot your dick off!  You motherfucker! _ ) Cougar yells out the window.

 

Clays notices that there is no intruder in the room but still it’s chaos all around.  Taking charge, he yells at Cougar, “Sergeant! Sergeant! What the fuck is going on?” Clay yells at Cougar.  

 

“¡Voy a arrancar los ojos, empujarlos en la garganta así que puedas ver como te pegue la mierda!  _ (I’m going to shove your eyes down your throat so you can watch me kick the shit out of you!) _

 

“I SAID SERGEANT WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?” Clay yells one more time.

 

Cougar stops yelling out the window and looks at Clay.

 

“Jensen, that hijo de puta was in here when I came in.  He jumped out the window because he knew he should not have been.  Now I am going to kill him for daring to touch someone he should not have,” Cougar told Clay.

“Tio it is not your choice, it’s mine,” Stacey told him, before Clay had a chance to say anything.

“Alright everybody, back to bed,” Clay said.  “Let them work it out.  Cougar, do not kill Jensen!  I mean it!  We need him and you will regret it, trust me.”

“Fine Boss, I will not kill him,” Cougar says.  “Tonight.”

 

Jake is in the barn, pacing.  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he says to the dark.  This was so bad.  He had only kissed Stacey and was in Cougar’s sights, which was the worst place to be.  The big, bad Cougar kitty was going to kill him, either now or in his sleep.  He had to hide, no he had to run.  He knew how to make a new identity.  He would never see Lisa or Megan again. 

 

“JENSEN!”

“AGGHHH!” Jake flairs about and almost falls on his ass.  “Colonel you about gave me a heart attack.”

“You need to be more alert.  I could have been Cougar.”

Jake looks down, knowing Clay is right.  

“You need to get inside and work this out. Now Jensen!” Clay tells him.

“Yes Sir,” Jake replies, knowing he is right.  He slowly heads towards the house.  Better to get this over now.   

 

“This is not what I want for you Mija. You deserve better than one of us,” Cougar is telling her.

“No Tio. I get to decide. I have cared for Jake for some time now. I know him. Maybe not as well as you but I am old enough to make my own decisions on my love life,” Stacey replies.  She is more than done with this discussion.  Cougar is pacing by her window, muttering under his breath.  The entire team has followed her uncle’s lead and treated her for a child for long enough.  

“Carlos, listen to me.”

Her uncle stops and looks over to her.  She hasn’t called him by his first name in years.  

“I  _ am  _ going to keep seeing Jake.  With or without your blessing.” 

“Fine,” he grits out and walks out her door. 

 

Jake is nervous but walks inside regardless.  The door shuts behind him just as Cougar walks the front room.  Before Jake can say anything, Cougar speaks up.

“She wants to keep seeing you.  Fine,” he tells him, turning his back on Jake and walks to his room.

Well, that didn’t sound like it was a very good win.  In fact, Jake felt like he just lost something.  He actually thinks he did.  His best friend.  It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.  Damn it.  He heads to Stacey’s room to check on her.  

Knocking softly on her door, he whispers her name.  She opens it and pulls him in.  

“Did he touch you?  Are you alright?” she asks him.

“No, no I’m fine.  How about you?  You okay?”

“I’m a little shook.  He’s not happy,” she answers Jake.

“No he isn’t but he will get over it.  Won’t he?”

They look at each other and shrug.  Cougar has the patience of a saint.  All they can do is hope that he does.

 

The next several days pass in a weird silence.  Normally Jake keeps up a steady pace of chatter, talking about weird trivia and whatever else crosses his ming.  But it was strange, he had nothing to say.  At all.  He just kept searching for something they could tie to Max or somewhere they could find Max.

All the while Cougar kept shooting Jake dirty looks.  And cleaning his guns.  Over and over.  At this rate Clay was going to drink all the scotch in town.  If Jake and Cougar didn’t get this straightened out soon, Clay was going to shoot them himself.  This could end up being a bigger problem for his team and they had enough problems as it was. 

 

Finally Jake found something. Goliath is expecting a large shipment of unknown items from a company in Manhattan that has questionable origins.  Knowing that Max has his fingers in Goliath already, this could lead them to finally having something on him. Jake shows Clay what he has found so far. 

 

“I need you and Cougar to head to Manhattan to check this out.”

Jake shoots a look of disbelief at Clay. There was no way him and Cougar were gonna be able to be alone on a recon mission and be okay. 

“Don't even say it Jensen. I need your tech skills on this and Cougar’s eyes.  Work it out.” 

Both Jake and Cougar murmured yes sir and headed to their rooms to get ready to go. It was going to be a long couple of days. 

 


End file.
